The writing team of award-winning romance author Kat Bastion and Stone Bastion

Code of Honor

In today’s modern age, when a chivalrous knight appears to protect us from harm, we’re reminded of the value of honor.

Just yesterday such a thing happened to me. Out of nowhere, a hero stepped up to protect me and had been protecting others in the same manner.

There is no benefit or gain to be had on the hero’s part—only a deep and underlying need to do the honorable thing. The right thing.

Our society is in dire need of those who adhere to a code of honor. Honor goes beyond the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have done unto you.

Honor is recognizing a wrong and doing what you can to make it right.

Honor is seeing someone in distress…and offering aid.

Honor is treating others as human beings.

Honor is protecting and supporting the emotional welfare of another.

Honor is respecting the rights of others.

Honor is thinking of another’s needs above our own.

In the harsh world in which we live, where there are villains and natural disasters we cannot always avoid, it’s a bright shining ray of hope when heroes adhere to a code of honor. But they are not rare…they are everywhere. We need but only open our eyes.

We become the hero when we step outside ourselves to be aware of and protect others in all ways. Our loved ones and friends are there for us, looking out for us…even when we do not see the imminent danger. Warriors, in the form of our military, firefighters, and law enforcement, go out and do battle to protect us and our way of life without ever having met us.

Romance celebrates the code of honor. We cannot love if we do not step outside of ourselves and extend our hearts to another. One of my favorite aspects of writing and reading romance is the honor that the characters display…because honor stems from a place of love.

When the hero swoops in to prevent disaster…

When the girl bares her heart to save the wounded man…

When the friend takes a risk to save another…

The road is paved for everyone to seize their happily ever after.

Thank you to all the heroes out there and everyone who celebrates them. May we all continue to celebrate the code of honor within our hearts, in our friends and loved ones, and in every warrior we’ve never met who protects us in ways we cannot fathom.